Family hand puppet

ABSTRACT

A family hand puppet. A substantially solid body is provided in the shape of a human hand, the body having a main portion and a plurality of separate fingers extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end. A set of separate attachments is also provided, and a fastening mechanism such as hook and loop fasteners or adhesive tape releasably connects the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers. In another embodiment, the puppet has a hollow body, forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to puppets and gloves and, more particularly, to a puppet having a solid or hollow body and fingers extending therefrom, the distal end of each finger being adapted to receive a releasable attachment, each having a separate image.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder that begins early in childhood and lasts throughout a person's life. It affects how a person acts and interacts with others, communicates, and learns.

ASD is four times more common in males than females. ASD affects approximately 1 in 68 children, 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls, and it is found throughout the world and amongst all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. ASD runs in families, but the level of impairment can vary significantly between family members. A family that has a child with ASD has a 3% chance that a second child will also have ASD.

The causes of ASD are not known. Research suggests that both genes and environment play important roles. There is currently no one standard treatment for ASD. However, starting children early can lead to better results. Treatments can include behavior and communication therapies, skills training, and medicines to control symptoms.

Autism manifests itself with varying degrees of severity. It is called a “spectrum” disorder because people with ASD can have a range of symptoms, some people having problems communicating (e.g., the ability to use language to express one's needs) or looking a speaker in the eye when he talks to them. They may have an inability to engage in social interaction. They may also have restricted range of interests or repetitive behaviors. They may spend time putting things in order, or they may say the same sentence again and again. Skill deficits and challenges associated with ASD vary greatly from child to child. No two children with autism are the same. Each has his or her own individual strengths and challenges associated with autism.

A person can be mildly, moderately, or severely autistic. Many people also have additional associated symptoms such as intellectual or language impairments. The three levels of autism are currently defined as:

Level 3: “Requiring Very Substantial Support”

Severe deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills cause severe impairments in functioning, very limited initiation of social interactions, and minimal response to social overtures from others. inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors markedly interfere with functioning in all spheres. These people may exhibit great distress and difficulty changing focus or action.

Level 2: “Requiring Substantial Support”

Level 3 autism is indicated by marked deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills; social impairments apparent even with supports in place; limited initiation of social interactions; and reduced or abnormal responses to social overtures from others. Inflexibility of behavior, difficulty coping with change, or other restricted and/or repetitive behaviors appear frequently enough to be obvious to the casual observer and interfere with functioning in a variety of contexts.

Level 1: “Requiring Support”

Without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments. These people may have difficulty initiating social interactions and clear examples of atypical or unsuccessful responses to social overtures of others. They may appear to have decreased interest in social interactions. Inflexibility of behavior causes significant interference with functioning in one or more contexts. The may have difficulty switching between activities, and problems organizing and planning.

Many autistic children find words overwhelming and confusing. The present invention reflects the discovery that certain autistic children respond better to physical rather than oral communication. Certain sensory approaches, such as touch and movement, smell, taste, texture, and sight or sounds can be beneficial. The present invention helps autistic children communicate by using a family hand puppet to facilitate communications between children and their caregivers.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

U.S. Pat. No. 7,665,176 issued to Benjamin, et al. for CHILD'S SIZED DISPOSABLE ARTICLE on Feb. 23, 2010, describes a disposable child sized article that releasably carries a benefit composition. The benefit composition is carried by a nonwoven sheet member that also has a child graphic disposed thereon.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,240 issued to Thomas for HAND PUPPET WITH DETACHABLE FACIAL ELEMENTS on Mar. 12, 1985, describes a hand puppet in which a plurality of different facial components can be removably attached to a head portion to produce different characters, such as monsters, funny looking characters, science fiction characters, etc. The hand puppet has a relatively rigid head portion, and the facial components can be attached anywhere on the head portion, and in any orientation relative to the head portion. A sleeve depends from the head portion, and has an opening at its distal end, and into which an operator's hand can be inserted to support the puppet. The sleeve is preferably formed of fabric which depicts an outer garment for the puppet and the sleeve has a pocket for storing the detachable facial components.

U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2005/0125923 on an application filed by Benjamin, et al. for CHILD+S AROMATHERAPY CLEANING IMPLEMENT published on Jun. 16, 2005 discloses a disposable child sized cleaning implement that releasably carries a personal care composition which comprises an aromatherapy adjuvant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a family hand puppet. A substantially solid body is provided in the shape of a human hand, the body having a main portion and a plurality of separate fingers extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end. A set of separate attachments is also provided, and a fastening mechanism such as hook and loop fasteners or adhesive tape releasably connects the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers. In another embodiment, the puppet is a glove (i.e., covering for the hand having separate sections for each finger) with a hollow body forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein.

Objects and advantages of the present invention are more readily apparent with reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent detailed description, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front, schematic view of a family hand puppet in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 2 comprises front and rear schematic views of attachments for use with the family hand puppet depicted in FIG. 1.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Although the following detailed description contains specific details for the purposes of illustration, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention described below are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.

A family hand puppet is provided. A substantially solid body having a flexible outer covering in the shape of a human hand has a main portion and a plurality of separate fingers extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end. Separate attachments are provided so the set of separate attachments are attached to corresponding distal ends of the fingers. In another embodiment, the puppet has a hollow body forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a front, schematic view of a family hand puppet 10 in accordance with the present invention. Hand puppet 10 having a flexible outer covering is fabricated of woven fabric or plush fabric in the preferred embodiment, but other flexible materials, including but not limited to leather, plastic, or paper can be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

Extending from a main portion 10′ of hand puppet 10 are five fingers 12, each having a distal end or tip 14 at a location most remote from main portion 10′. Disposed on the surface of each fingertip 14, secured by means well known in the art, is a fastening mechanism 16 for attaching an article described hereinbelow. Fastening mechanism 16 is preferably a portion of a hook and loop fastener (e.g., Velcro® material), but adhesive tape, rubber cement, magnets, snaps, or any other suitable fastening device or material can be used.

Main portion 10′ and fingers 12 can be solid or filled with conventional material such as cotton, wool, kapok fibers, polyester, or plastic pellets from fingertips 14 to a lower portion 18 of hand puppet 10. In a second embodiment, main portion 10′ and fingers 12 can be substantially hollow to allow for a user to insert his or her hand through lower portion 18 and into fingers 12 to provide articulation thereof. Thus, the invention can be used as a stuffed toy in one embodiment or as a wearable glove in another embodiment.

Referring now also to FIG. 2, front schematic views of a set of attachments 20 a-20 g are shown for use with family hand puppet 10 depicted in FIG. 1. Corresponding rear schematic views of the set of attachments are depicted as reference numerals 20 a′-20 g′, respectively. Attached by means well known in the art to the rear surface of attachments 20 a′-20 g′ are fastening mechanisms that correspond to fastening mechanisms 16 disposed at fingertips 14 (FIG. 1) of hand puppet 10. That is, when the hook portion of a hook and loop fastener is disposed on a fingertip 14, a loop portion of a hook and loop fastener is part of the reverse side of a corresponding attachment 20 a′-20 g′, and vice versa.

Attachments 20 a-20 g each have a photographic or graphic depiction of human heads representative of members of a family; cartoon characters; fictional characters; fanciful characters; animals; fruits; vegetables; colors; patterns; shapes; letters; numbers; and edible items.

Moreover, attachments 20 a-20 g can include mechanical or electronic means for generating sounds and/or may include odiferous material, including but not limited to lavender extract or aromatic oils. Attachments 20 a-20 g can also be material with raised features to provide texture or to represent letters and/or numbers in braille.

All references throughout this application, for example patent documents including issued or granted patents or equivalents; patent application publications; and non-patent literature documents or other source material; are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, as though individually incorporated by reference, to the extent each reference is at least partially not inconsistent with the disclosure in this application (for example, a reference that is partially inconsistent is incorporated by reference except for the partially inconsistent portion of the reference).

The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments, exemplary embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims. The specific embodiments provided herein are examples of useful embodiments of the present invention and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be carried out using a great number of variations of the devices, device components, and method steps set forth in the present description. As will be obvious to one of skill in the art, methods and devices useful for the present methods can include a great number of optional composition and processing elements and steps.

All patents and publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the levels of skill of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. References cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety to indicate the state of the art as of their publication or filing date and it is intended that this information can be employed herein, if needed, to exclude specific embodiments that are in the prior art. For example, when compositions of matter are claimed, it should be understood that compounds known and available in the art prior to Applicant's invention, including compounds for which an enabling disclosure is provided in the references cited herein, are not intended to be included in any composition of matter claims herein.

As used herein, “comprising” is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. As used herein, “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim element. As used herein, “consisting essentially of” does not exclude materials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claim. In each instance herein any of the terms “comprising”, “consisting essentially of,” and “consisting of” may be replaced with either of the other two terms. The invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements, limitation or limitations which is not specifically disclosed herein.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that all art-known functional equivalents, of any materials and methods disclosed herein are intended to be included in this invention. The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention that in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

Since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequently appended claims. 

1. A family hand puppet comprising: a) a substantially solid body in the shape of a human hand, the body having a main portion and a plurality of separate fingers, each of the fingers being connected to the main portion of the substantially solid body and extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end; b) a flexible outer covering surrounding at least a portion of the substantially solid body and the plurality of separate fingers, the outer covering comprising a material selected from a group consisting entirely of: woven fabric, plush fabric, and combination thereof; c) a set of separate attachments; and d) means for releasably connecting the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers.
 2. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for releasably connecting the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers is attached to each of the set of separate attachments and comprises at least one of a set of fastening devices consisting of: hook and loop fasteners; adhesive tape; rubber cement; magnets; and snaps.
 3. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of the set of separate attachments comprises a separate image.
 4. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 3, wherein the separate images are chosen from a set of images consisting of: photographs; and graphic images.
 5. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 4, wherein the photographs and graphic images are chosen from a set of images consisting of: depictions of human heads representative of members of a family; cartoon characters; fictional characters; fanciful characters; animals; fruits; vegetables; colors; patterns; shapes; letters; numbers; and edible items.
 6. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises means for generating sounds.
 7. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises odiferous material.
 8. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises raised indicia.
 9. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 8, wherein the raised indicia represent braille letters.
 10. A hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein, comprising: a) a substantially solid body in the shape of a human hand, the body having a main portion and a plurality of separate fingers extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end; b) a flexible outer covering surrounding at least a portion of the substantially solid body and the plurality of separate fingers, a gap being formed between the body and the outer covering for allowing a user to insert her hand therebetween, the outer covering comprising a material selected from a group consisting entirely of: woven fabric, plush fabric, and combination thereof; c) a set of separate attachments; and d) means for releasably connecting the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers.
 11. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein the means for releasably connecting the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers is attached to each of the set of separate attachments and comprises at least one of a set of fastening devices consisting of: hook and loop fasteners; adhesive tape; rubber cement; magnets; and snaps.
 12. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein each of the set of separate attachments comprises a separate image.
 13. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 12, wherein the separate images are chosen from a set of images consisting of: photographs; and graphic images.
 14. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 13, wherein the photographs and graphic images are chosen from a set of images consisting of: depictions of human heads representative of members of a family; cartoon characters; fictional characters; fanciful characters; animals; fruits; vegetables; colors; patterns; shapes; letters; numbers; and edible items.
 15. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises means for generating sounds.
 16. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises odiferous material.
 17. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises raised indicia.
 18. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 17, wherein the raised indicia represent braille letters. 